Latch



Nov. 16," 1943. J. MQCULLOCH 2,334,426

' LATCH Filed Dec. 1, 1942 14 3 INVENTOR.

John J M Cu//0 0/7 A TTORNEY.

' illustrated by the Patented Nov. 16, 1943 2,334,426 m'rcn John J. McCulloch, near Spencer, Iowa, asslgnor of ono-halhto Mary Prudence Gin-jets, Clay County, Iowa Application December 1, 1942, Serial No. 167,528

This invention relates to latches, and more particularly to latches of that type wherein the I functions of handle and latch are combined in ble of operative installation on closure members 3 Claims. (Cl. 292-238) to loosely receive an intermediate straight portion l3 of a cylindrical metal rod which extends through and projects at each end beyond the surfaces of said member. A pair of bearing plates ll, each formed with a central hole of a size to fit closely about the rod portion I3, is arranged one on each side of the member ill in fixed covering relationwith the ends of the bore therethrough and receive the rod portion l3 through their alined holes, thus mounting said rod portion for rotation and axial reciprocation relative to the closure member l0 and bearing plates l4. On

irrespective of the thickness of said members or the relative position or direction of opening motion of the free margin of such members.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved latch and handle assembly operable to latch a closure member in either open or closed relation with theopening served thereby.

A further object of the invention is to provide a improved latch and handle assembly that is s ple and inexpensive of manufacture and insliallation, positive and eflicient in operation,

- durable in use, and adapted to specific application throughout a wide field of varying constructions.

My inventionconsists in the construction, arrangementfind combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and

accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1.is-a fragmentary front elevation of my improved latch as operatively installed on a conventionalized closure member, certain portions of the showing being broken away to conserve space. Figure 2 is a top plan view, partly in section, of the showing of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a detail plan, partly in section and on a reduced scale, illustrating the manner in which the improvement functions to latch its closure member in open position. Figured is a fragmentary, deta il section taken on the indicated line 4-4 of Figure 2.

In the construction of the improvement as shown, a conventionalized closure member such as a door or the like, is designated generally by the numeral Ill and is shown in closing relation with an opening formed in a conventionalized wall construction ll, said' closure member having one margin hinged, as at l2, tothe wall H for.

engagement of the free margin of said member against a fixed stop ll' carried by the wall ll,

all of which is common and well-known practice.

, Adjacent and spaced somewhat from the free is formed perpendicularly through said member the latch side of the closure member Ill, an extension of the rod portion I3 is bent through an angle of substantially ninety degrees to provide a handle portion I30 disposed in spaced parallelism with the surface of the closure member and extending across and beyond the free margin thereof. At a point well beyond the free margin of the closure member the rod forming the handle portion l3a is bent through an angle of substantially one hundred and eighty degrees to dispose the terminal portion of said rod in spaced parallelism with said handle portion l3a and in a plane common to the rod portion 13 and handle portion I3a, in which position said rod terminal portion constitutes a latch bar I3b closely adjacent the surface of the closure member Ill and extending axially across the free margin of said member. The extension of the rod portion l3 on the stop side of the closure member projects.

perpendicularly from said member for a distance, then is bent, preferably downwardly, through an angle of substantially ninety degrees to form a straight handle portion I30 in spaced parallelism with the surface of the closure member and in substantially perpendicular relation with the plane common to the rod portions I3, l3a and l3b. With the arrangement of rod portions shown and described, both handle portions I31: and I3c are'available to rotate the rod portion la in its joumaled relation through the closure member and bearing plates l4 and thereby move the latch bar l3b through a limited are along the free margin of the closure member.

A limiting guide or keeper for the latch bar I31) I is formed as an angle plate l5, one web of which is adapted to be secured to the closure member In so as to position its other web in alinement with and projecting outwardly from the free margin of said closure member, said projecting web being formed with a longitudinally-disposed,

elongated slot I6 wherethrough the latch bar lab is loosely received for guided oscillation between the end limits of said slot, said latch bar naturally resting, due to the unbalancedweight of the elements 13a and I312, against the lower end of said slot.

For engagement by the latch bar l3b, a strike plate I1 is fixed to the wall ll closely adjacent other web projecting at right angles therefrom to lie parallel and in closely spaced relation with the slotted web of the angle plate IS, the projecting web of the strike plate I1 extending outwardly beyond the parallel web of the angle plate l5 and being formed with a downwardly and outwardly inclined upper margin leading to an upwardlyopening notch registering with alower portion of the slot I6 wherein the latch bar l3b may be received when the closure member is closed, the inclined margin of the strike plate I! being positioned for engagement by said latch bar as the closure member approaches closed position and acting to move said latch bar upwardly against the influence of gravity to permit full closing of the closure member, said latch bar dropping into latching engagement within the notch of the strike plate when the closure member engages its stop ll'. Manual pressure applied to either of the handle portions No or |3c in a direction to move the latch bar I3b upwardly through the slot It acts to disengage said latch bar from the notch in the strike plate and thereby permit opening of the closure member. Holes l8' are formed through outer corners of the slotted web of the angle plate l5, one of which, in any given installation of the device, is arranged to register with a similar hole I9 formed through the notched web of the strike plate l1, said registering holes being thus positioned in closely adjacent relation when the closure member is closed and latched so that locking means, such as the hasp of a padlock, may be inserted through said registering holes to securely lock the closure member in its closed Position. A second strike plate, ll, identical with the strike plate I! save in that the mounting web of the angle extends oppositely from the notched web, is included in the assembly of the improved latch so 'that the assembly may be operatively installed irrespective of the location or direction of opening of the free margin of the closure member, and said second strike plate may be mounted on the wall I l in position to engage and latch about the handle portion l3a when the closure member is in full open position, as is indicated in Figure 3, thus providing means for positively latching the closure memberin either its open or closed relation.

As will be clear from the foregoing, the improved latch may be reversed, inverted, and variously combined with the strike plates for operative installation on closure members hinged for actuation, through horizontal arcs in any given direction of opening, thus providing a simple and eillcient latch assembly having a wide range of useful application.

Since changes in the specific form, arrangement and combination of the elements shown and de scribed may be had without departing from the spirit of the invention, I wish to be understood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claims, rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

. I claim as my invention- 1. In a closure member latch, a combined latch bar and handle unit formed from and by, bending a cylindrical rod of uniform diameter, said unit comprising a straight intermediate portion adapted to perpendicularly androtatably intersect a closure member, a straight terminal portion on one end of and in perpendicular relation with said intermediate portion to form a handle disposable in spaced, parallel relation with one side of a closure member, another straight portion on the other end of and in perpendicular relation with said intermediate portion to form a second handle disposable in spaced parallelism with the other side of a closure member to project beyond the freemargin of said member and at a right angle to the direction of said first handle, and a U-shaped bend defining the free end of said second handle to dispose the associated terminal portion of the rod as a latch bar lying in spaced parallelism with said second handle in the plane common to said second handle and intermediate portion and extending in close adjacency with and across the closure member free margin; together with a keeper on and adjacent the free margin of said closure member cooperating with said latch bar to limit movement of the latch bar and handle unit relative to its closure member.

2. In a closure member latch, a combined latch bar and handle unit formed from and by bending a cylindrical rod of uniform diameter, said unit comprising a straight intermediate portion adapted to perpendicularly and rotatably intersect a closure member, straight handle portions extending perpendicularly from the ends of said intermediate portion and at a right angle with each other for disposition in spaced, parallel relation with the opposite sides of a closure member, and a U-shaped bend defining the free end of one of said handle portions to dispose the associated terminal of the rod as a latch bar lying in spaced parallelism with its handle portion in the plane common to said handle portion and intermediate portion and extending in close adjacency with and across the closure member free margin; together with a keeper on and adjacent the free margin of the closure member and engaging about said latch bar to limit angular movement of said handle portions and axial displacement of said intermediate portion relative to the closure member.

3. In a closure member latch, a straight, cylindrical rod rotatably and perpendicularly intersecting a closure member, a terminal portion of said rod on one end of and at a right angle with the journaled rod portion to forma handle in spaced parallelism with one side of the closure member, a straight portion of said rod extending from and at a right angle with the other 'end of said journaled rod portion to form a second handle in spaced parallelism with the other side of the closure member and perpendicular to the first handle portion, a U-shaped bend defining the free end of the second handle portion beyond the closure member free margin and arranged to position the corresponding rod terminal as a latch bar closely adjacent and across the closure member free margin in spaced parallelism with the second handle portion, and a slotted kee'per on and adjacent the free margin of the closure member engaging. about said latch bar to limit angular movement of said handle portions and axial displacement of said journaled rod portion relative to the closure member.

JOHN J. McCULLOCH. 

